Sidewalk trench system

ABSTRACT

A system may include a first portion of a cabling facility provided in a first trench formed beneath a first expansion joint between a first sidewalk flag and a curb; a second portion of the cabling facility provided in a second trench formed beneath a second expansion joint between the first sidewalk flag and a second sidewalk flag; and a third portion of the cabling facility provided from a cable source and connecting to the first portion of the cabling facility or the second portion of the cabling facility.

BACKGROUND

Underground trenches are sometimes provided in order to install cablingfrom a service provider premises to a customer premises. Trenches aresometimes installed beneath public streets and/or sidewalks. Trenchescan be time consuming, labor intensive, intrusive, and costly to installand can be disruptive to motorists, pedestrians, property owners, and/orother individuals that use the streets and/or sidewalks where trenchesare to be installed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate an example overview of an implementationdescribed herein;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross sectional view of a street having an exampleaccess trench;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a street having an example accesstrench;

FIGS. 4A-4H illustrate top views of example implementations as describedherein; and

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate an example implementation as described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the sameor similar elements.

Systems and/or methods, as described herein, may provide a sidewalktrench along the length of a street to provide cabling to one or morepremises along the street. In some implementations, the installation ofthe sidewalk trench may be less intrusive, disruptive, costly, and/orlabor intensive than a street trench that is provided underneath thestreet along the length of the street.

While systems and/or methods describe the installation of a cable in anaccess trench and/or a sidewalk trench, in practice, the systems and/ormethods may apply to the installation of a conduit in an access trenchand/or a sidewalk trench. Further, references to a cable may refer to aconduit and/or a pathway for a cable or a conduit. In someimplementations, the conduit may receive one or more cables to provide asecure and protected transport for the one or more cables. In someimplementations, the conduit may include a casing formed from a plastic,plastic composite, and/or some other material that may provideprotection of the cable. In some implementations, the systems and/ormethods may apply to the installation of any type of cable, such as afiber optic cable, a coaxial cable, a power cable, an audio cable, avideo cable, a telecommunications cable, or the like.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1A, a cable may be providedin a street trench that extends along a street (e.g., parallel to thestreet or along a curvature of the street). As further shown in FIG. 1A,the street trench may be approximately 0.5 meters to 7.5 meters in depthbelow ground depending on the location of utilities, wires, pipes,and/or other items that may interfere with the cable. As further shownin FIG. 1A, the length of the street trench may extend from underneaththe street along a length of the street such that a cable may extendfrom a cable source along the length of the street within the streettrench to provide connecting cables to one or more premises along thestreet.

In order to install the street trench, substantial resources and costsmay be required to deconstruct the street, dig the street trench at thedepth and at a length that extends the length of the street, install thecable, and reconstruct the street. Referring to FIG. 1B, installation ofthe street trench may cause road closures, and/or other disruptions.Further, installation of the street trench may negatively impact streetaesthetics, traffic, etc.

Referring to FIG. 1C, rather than using a street trench to provide acable extending along the street, an access trench may be used incombination with a sidewalk trench to provide a cable extending alongthe street. In some implementations, the sidewalk trench may be formedvia existing sidewalk topology. For example, the sidewalk trench may beformed underneath an expansion joint between a curb and a sidewalk. Insome implementations, the cable may extend the length of the street fromwithin the sidewalk trench and may include connecting cables provided toone or more premises along the street and sidewalk. As described inlater detail below, the connecting cables may be provided in a sidewalktrench that may be formed underneath intersecting expansion joints inbetween sidewalk flags. As a result, the cable may extend the length ofthe street within the sidewalk trench instead of within a street trenchthat may be costly, labor intensive, and time consuming to install. Forexample, the sidewalk trench may extend the length of the street and maybe parallel to the street or may extend along a curvature of the street.

Referring to FIG. 1D, the sidewalk trench may be formed underneath anexpansion joint between a sidewalk flag and a curb. In someimplementations, the sidewalk trench may have a substantially smallerdepth and width than a street trench (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1B).

In some implementations, the access trench, which provides the cable tothe sidewalk trench, may have a substantially smaller length and depth(corresponding to less traffic/pedestrian interference) than a streettrench that extends the length of the street for providing theconnecting cables. For example, the access trench may have a depth in arange of approximately 15 centimeters to 30 centimeters and may have alength that does not extend the length of the street. In someimplementations, the access trench may have a depth of approximately 23centimeters.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross sectional view of a street having an exampleaccess trench. As shown in FIG. 2, a street may include an existingasphalt track and an existing concrete base. The access trench may beformed at a location having a cable source (e.g., a hub, a box, or thelike that communicatively connects cable to a service provider network).The length of the access trench may be based on a distance between thecable source and a manhole, a handhole, or other underground accesspoint to route a cabling facility (which may include cable, conduit forreceiving cable or a combination thereof) from the cable source (e.g., acurb having a sidewalk trench or a curb where a sidewalk trench is to beinstalled).

In some implementations, the length of the access trench may beminimized to reduce interference with traffic and/or pedestrianactivities, associated with the access trench, and/or costs associatedwith constructing the access trench. As shown in FIG. 2, the depth ofthe access trench may be in a range of approximately 15 centimeters toapproximately 30 centimeters and the width of the access trench may beapproximately in a range of 2 centimeters to approximately 3 centimeters(e.g., in comparison to a depth in a range of approximately 0.5 metersto approximately 7.5 meters and a width in a range of approximately 1meter to approximately 2 meters for a street trench whose length extendsthe length of the street). In some implementations, the depth of theaccess trench may be approximately 23 centimeters and the width may beapproximately 2.5 centimeters.

As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially smaller portion of the concrete baseand the asphalt track may be reconstructed in relation to a streettrench that extends the length of the street. Once the access trench isformed, the cabling facility may be provided from the cable source tothe access trench and then provided to the sidewalk trench (e.g., via amanhole, a handhole, a junction box, an access closure, or the like).

While FIG. 2 illustrates particular arrangements and dimensions ofcomponents, the above description is merely an example. In practice,other examples are possible from what is shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a street having an example accesstrench. As shown in FIG. 3 and as described above with respect to FIG.2, the access trench may be formed extending from a cable source to anunderground access point (such as a manhole) associated with a street.In some implementations, the cabling facility may be routed from theunderground access point to a curb abutting the street and provided to asidewalk trench installed underneath an expansion joint between the curband a sidewalk flag.

While FIG. 3 illustrates particular arrangements and dimensions ofcomponents, the above description is merely an example. In practice,other examples are possible from what is shown in FIG. 3. For example,the access trench may be formed extending from the cable source directlyto the abutting curb, without including an underground access point.

FIGS. 4A-4H illustrate top views of example implementations as describedherein. As shown in FIG. 4A, existing expansion joints may be providedbetween an existing curb and existing sidewalk flags. In someimplementations, the expansion joints may be provided along the curb andmay extend along the curb and/or along a street abutting the curb. Asshown in FIG. 4A, an expansion joint may be provided in between adjacentsidewalk flags and may extend towards the front of a premises.

Referring to FIG. 4B, an expansion joint may be completely or partiallyremoved to allow for the installation of a sidewalk trench beneath theexpansion joint. In some implementations, the expansion joint may beremoved via an excavating tool, such as a saw (e.g., a handsaw, aconcrete saw, a marais saw, a circular saw, a straight saw, etc.) and/orsome other type of excavating tool (e.g., a commercially availableexcavating tool and/or a modified commercially available excavatingtool). In some implementations, the expansion joint may be removed via awet cut or a dry cut technique. Further, the sidewalk trench may beformed using the excavating tool (or another excavating tool) to a depthcorresponding to a depth of the sidewalk trench. In someimplementations, the depth may be selected based on cable protectionrequirements, installation costs, and/or other design factors. Forexample, a level of protection of the cabling facility (e.g., protectionfrom damage against environmental factors and/or construction impact)and the installation costs may be proportional to the depth. In someimplementations, the depth may be selected such that the expansion jointmay be serviced and/or replaced at a later time without disrupting ordamaging the sidewalk trench and/or the cabling facility installed inthe sidewalk trench. In some implementations, the depth may be in arange of approximately 6 centimeters to approximately 20 centimeters orsome other depth. In some implementations, the depth may beapproximately 13 centimeters.

Referring to FIG. 4C, once the expansion joint has been removed and thesidewalk trench has been created to the specified depth, a cablingfacility may be installed in the sidewalk trench. Referring to FIG. 4D afilling and/or sealing material may be provided around and on top of thecabling facility and within the trench. In some implementations, thefilling material may include concrete, sand, expansion joint board,grout, and/or some other type of filling material. In someimplementations, the sealing material may include a polyurethanesealant/filler, and/or some other type of sealant.

Referring to FIG. 4E, a new expansion joint may be installed and sealedover the cable and filler (e.g., using a sealing material). In someimplementations, approximately a 2.5 centimeter thickness of sealingmaterial may be used to seal the expansion joint. Alternatively, someother thickness of sealing material may be used. In someimplementations, the thickness of the sealing material may be selectedbased on costs, protection requirements, and aesthetics. For example,protection of the cabling facility may be proportional to the thicknessof the sealing material and to the costs. As a result, the cablingfacility may extend along the curb and/or along a street abutting thecurb within the sidewalk trench formed via exiting sidewalk topology,instead of extending along the street within a street trench.

Referring to FIG. 4F, a first sidewalk trench including a first portionof a cabling facility may be provided underneath expansion jointsbetween a curb and a series of sidewalk flags. A second sidewalk trenchincluding a second portion of the cabling facility may further beprovided under an expansion joint that that extends towards a premisesfront (e.g., a front of an office building, a front of a store, a frontof a residence, etc.). As further shown in FIG. 4F, a third portion ofthe cabling facility may be provided from a cable source connecting tothe first portion and/or the second portion of the cabling facility. Forexample, the third portion of the cabling facility may be provided froma manhole to the first sidewalk trench and/or the second sidewalk trenchto connect the first portion of the cabling facility and/or the secondportion of the cabling facility.

In some implementations, an access junction may be provided in a path ofthe cabling facility. Additionally, or alternatively, an access junctionmay be provided at an intersection point of the first portion of thecable and the second portion of the cable (e.g., at intersection pointof the first sidewalk trench and the second sidewalk trench). In someimplementations, the access junction may include a grade-level box thatmay be accessible from above ground. In some implementations, a topportion of the access junction may be flush with an abutting sidewalkflag. In some implementations, the access junction may have a depth thatcorresponds to the depth between the surface of the sidewalk flag andthe depth of the trench. In some implementations, a portion of asidewalk flag may be removed to compensate for installation of theaccess junction.

In some implementations, the access junction may include a door orclosure to provide access to the sidewalk trench and/or cabling facilityinstalled in the sidewalk trench (e.g., to install a cable, to performservice on the cable, to connect the cable, etc.). For example, a firstcabling facility having a first end connected to a cable source mayinclude a termination plug at the second end located at the accessjunction. The second end of the first cabling facility may connect to afirst end of a second cabling facility, provided at the access junction,via a coupler. A second end of the second cabling facility may beprovided to a premises, as described in greater detail below. That is,the access junction may provide access for an installer to connect thefirst cabling facility to the second cabling facility such that thesecond cabling facility may communicatively connect to the cable sourcevia the first cabling facility. In some implementations, the accessjunction may include an electrical and/or a mechanical lock to preventunauthorized access to the access junction. In some implementations, thecoupler may be physically integrated into the access junction to connectthe first cabling facility to the second cabling facility.

In some implementations, multiple access junctions may be placed withina particular distance from each other in order to provide continuousaccess to a cabling facility within a sidewalk trench (e.g., to installa cable, to service the cable, replace the cable, repair the cable, testthe performance of the cable, etc.). For example, multiple accessjunctions may be placed within approximately 1-2 meters (or within someother distance of each other).

In some implementations, a second sidewalk trench may be formed in anexpansion joint that extends towards a front of a premises. In someimplementations, a second portion of the cabling facility may beprovided in the second sidewalk trench towards the premises front. Insome implementations, the second portion of the cabling facility maycorrespond to connecting cables shown in FIG. 1C. In someimplementations, a sidewalk flag abutting the premises front may bedeconstructed such that the cabling facility may be buried under thesidewalk flag, and provided to an underground portion of the premises(e.g., a basement, a cellar, a utility room, or the like). In someimplementations, the cabling facility may be buried at a particulardepth based on the depth of an entry point for the cabling facility inthe premises.

As shown in FIG. 4F, a single sidewalk flag may be deconstructed andreconstructed to bury the cabling facility as opposed to multiplesidewalk flags being deconstructed and reconstructed (e.g., when thesidewalk trench is not used to provide the cabling facility to thepremises). As a result, costs and/or disruptions, associated withdeconstructing and reconstruction multiple sidewalk flags, may bereduced (e.g., pedestrian traffic disruptions, etc.).

Referring to FIG. 4G, a cabling facility may be buried without the needto deconstruct and reconstruct a sidewall flag. For example, a sidewalktrench may be provided beneath an expansion joint towards a premisesfront. In some implementations, the width of the expansion joint maycompensate to allow for the burial of a cabling facility underneath theexpansion joint. For example, an installer may create a trench at adepth (e.g., a depth that may be greater than the depth of the sidewalktrench) to bury the cabling facility for installation in the premiseswhen the width of the expansion allows the installer to create thetrench at the depth.

Referring to FIG. 4H, the sidewalk trench may be provided towards a lawnor other soft ground between a sidewalk and a premises front. In someimplementations, the cabling facility may be provided within thesidewalk trench and may be buried under the lawn or soft ground andprovided to the premises front. As a result, the cabling facility may beprovided to the premises without deconstructing and reconstructing asidewalk flag.

While FIGS. 4A-4H illustrate particular arrangements of components, theabove description is merely an example. In practice, other examples arepossible from what is shown in FIGS. 4A-4H. Also, while portions of asingle cabling facility are described, in practice, each portion of thecable may include a single or multiple separate cabling facilities.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate an example implementation as described herein. Asshown in FIG. 5A, a cabling facility may extend along the length of astreet from within a street trench that may be 0.5 meters to 7.5 metersdeep and 1 meter to 2 meters wide, and may extend the length of thestreet. Further, the street trench may extend perpendicular to thestreet to provide connecting cabling facilities to individual one ormore premises along the street.

Referring to FIG. 5B, a cabling facility may extend along the length ofthe street (e.g., to provide connecting cabling facilities to one ormore premises along the street) from within a sidewalk trench that isprovided within existing sidewalk topology. As a result, costs,interference, aesthetic degradations, etc. associated with installing astreet trench that extends the length of the street may be avoided usingthe sidewalk trench.

As described above, a cabling facility may extend the length of a streetfrom within a sidewalk trench and may include connecting cablingfacilities provided to one or more premises along the street andsidewalk (e.g., through sidewalk trenches formed underneathperpendicular expansion joints in between sidewalk flags). As a result,the cabling facility may extend the length of the street within thesidewalk trench instead of within a street trench that may be costly,labor intensive, and time consuming to install.

The foregoing description provides illustration and description, but isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the possible implementationsto the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of theimplementations.

It will be apparent that different examples of the description providedabove may be implemented in many different forms of hardware, layouts,and/or materials in the implementations illustrated in the figures.

Even though particular combinations of features are recited in theclaims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are notintended to limit the disclosure of the possible implementations. Infact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specificallyrecited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Althougheach dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one otherclaim, the disclosure of the possible implementations includes eachdependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set.

No element, act, or instruction used in the present application shouldbe construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described assuch. Also, as used herein, the article “a” is intended to include oneor more items and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Whereonly one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used.Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least inpart, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.

1. A system comprising: a first portion of a cabling facility providedin a first trench formed beneath a first expansion joint between a firstportion of a sidewalk and a curb, the cabling facility including atleast one of a conduit or a cable; a second portion of the cablingfacility provided in a second trench formed beneath a second expansionjoint between the first portion of the sidewalk and a second portion ofthe sidewalk; and a third portion of the cabling facility provided froma cable source and connecting to the first portion of the cablingfacility or the second portion of the cabling facility.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, where the first portion of the cabling facility extends along acurvature of the curb or a curvature of a street abutting the curb. 3.The system of claim 1, where the second portion of the cabling facilityextends towards a premises.
 4. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising: an access junction provided in a path of the first trench orthe second trench to provide access to the first trench, the secondtrench, the first portion of the cabling facility, or the second portionof the cabling facility.
 5. The system of claim 1, where the firstportion of the cabling facility or the second portion of the cablingfacility is located beneath a filler or sealant, where the first trenchor the second trench includes the filler or sealant within the firsttrench or the second trench.
 6. The system of claim 1, where the secondtrench includes a first depth, where the second portion of the cablingfacility is provided through the first depth and through a second depthextending towards a premises.
 7. The system of claim 1, a width of thefirst expansion joint allowing the first trench to be created aparticular depth, and where the first portion of the cabling facility orthe second portion of the cabling facility comprises the conduit and thecable.
 8. The system of claim 1, where the first trench or the secondtrench includes a depth from approximately 6 centimeters toapproximately 20 centimeters below the first expansion joint or thesecond expansion joint.
 9. A system comprising: a first portion of acabling facility provided in a first trench formed beneath a firstexpansion joint between a first portion of a sidewalk and a curb, thecabling facility corresponding to at least one of a conduit or a cable;a second portion of the cabling facility provided in a second trenchformed beneath a second expansion joint between the first portion of thesidewalk and a second portion of the sidewalk, the first trench or thesecond trench including a depth from approximately 6 centimeters toapproximately 20 centimeters below the first expansion joint or thesecond expansion joint; and a third portion of the cabling facilityprovided from a cable source and connecting to the first portion of thecabling facility or the second portion of the cabling facility.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9, where the first portion of the cabling facilityextends along a curvature of the curb or a curvature of a streetabutting the curb.
 11. The system of claim 9, where the second portionof the cabling facility extends towards a premises.
 12. The system ofclaim 9, further comprising: an access junction provided in a path ofthe first trench or the second trench to provide access to the firsttrench, the second trench, the first portion of the cabling facility, orthe second portion of the cabling facility.
 13. The system of claim 9,where the first portion of the cabling facility or the second portion ofthe cabling facility is located beneath a filler or sealant, where thefirst trench or the second trench includes the filler or sealant withinthe first trench or the second trench.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherethe depth is a first depth, where the second portion of the cablingfacility is provided through the first depth and through a second depthextending towards a premises.
 15. The system of claim 9, where the firstportion of the cabling facility or the second portion of the cablingfacility comprises the conduit and the cable.
 16. A system comprising: acabling facility provided in a trench formed beneath an expansion jointbetween a sidewalk and a curb of a street that abuts the curb, a widthof the expansion joint allowing the trench to be created a particulardepth, the cabling facility, provided in the trench, comprising aconduit and a cable.
 17. The system of claim 16, where the trench is afirst trench, the expansion joint is a first expansion joint, thesidewalk is a first portion of the sidewalk, and the cabling facilityprovided in the first trench is a first portion of the cabling facility,the system further comprising: a second portion of the cabling facilityprovided in a second trench formed beneath a second expansion jointbetween the first portion of the sidewalk and a second portion of thesidewalk; and a third portion of the cabling facility provided from acable source and connecting to the first portion of the cabling facilityor the second portion of the cabling facility.
 18. The system of claim16, where the cabling facility extends along a curvature of the curb ora curvature of the street abutting the curb.
 19. The system of claim 16,further comprising: an access junction provided in a path of the cablingfacility to provide access to the trench or the cabling facility. 20.The system of claim 16, where a width of the cabling facility is lessthan the width of the trench, and where the particular depth of thetrench ranges from approximately 6 centimeters to approximately 20centimeters below the expansion joint.